Ecodelta, a new trailing suction hopper (TSHD), run by LNG, was christened on January 11 in the Dutch port of Rotterdam. The dredging vessel is the key component of the new contract entered into force by Bagger & Aannemingsmaatschappij Van der Kamp and the Port of Rotterdam Authority.
Mainly, the Ecodelta -a hyper-modern, LNG-powered dredging vessel was built at the Barkmeijer shipyard in Friesland – is now operating in the port of Rotterdam. According to port’s statement, it will keep the western port area of Rotterdam at a depth in the coming years.
The ship replaces the 60-year-old Rhine delta, the trailing suction hopper dredger that has kept the harbor at its depth since the 1980s.
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Moreover, Ecodelta is already meeting the upcoming regulations for emission reduction that will come in force in 2020. The usage of LNG reduces the emissions of CO2 up to 20% and NOx up to 85%.
In addition, Sulfur Oxide is reduced to zero.
This one of a kind dredger has two main goals
- recover valuable material from the seabed;
- create a greater depth of water.
The vessel has a length over all of 134.10m, the breadth moulded 21.40m, a dredging draught of 7,770m, a hopper volume of 5900m3, a dredging depth below baseline of 35m and a Gross tonnage of 7560 GT. The ship has been designed by Conoship International and has been built by the Frisian shipyard Barkmeijer.
Concluding, the contract between Van der Kamp and the port of Rotterdam Authority is based on the former, performing maintenance at the port until 2023.
The goal is to become the most sustainable port by replacing the fuel oil with LNG for shipping.
